The second World War took place between 1939-1945 and most of the 16 million Americans who served have died[SKR1] . Out of those WWII veterans who served, only 200,000 are still living and only one lives in Southeast Texas –– Patrick S. Aguilar, who served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-1945.
Current history graduate student Tishia Hubert, found herself immersed in her Latin American History class in 2020. “As a veteran myself, I have always been intrigued by WWII and with my professor’s influence, I decided to address the lack of recognition that the Mexican American community receives in Southeast Texas,” shared Hubert. She and fellow classmates Joseph Akers and CJ Delgado wanted to honor Aguilar’s contribution to history and to raise awareness of local Latino/a community. Hubert participated in an oral interview with Aguilar, Akers created a curriculum of Mexican American studies and Delgado added the youth aspect to the community.
Hubert worked to find ancestry and military records to piece together Aguilars family and service history. “Professor Boone and ذكذكتسئµ University has been most gracious in helping us to suceed in honoring Aguilar and his family, along with the Mexican American community’s contributions to Southeast Texas.” Hubert’s project is currently undergoing peer review, which she hopes to one day get published.
In honor of Aguilar, the Department of History at ذكذكتسئµ University is hosting a reception on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Port Arthur.